The following is a list of films released posthumously involving major cast or crew members who either died during production or before the film's release.
Such Men Are Dangerous (1930), released just over two months after Kenneth Hawks' death in a two-plane crash over the Pacific Ocean, while directing re-takes of aerial scenes for the film; Hawks, the younger brother of fellow director Howard Hawks, was killed along with pilot Walter Ross Cook, cameraman George Eastman, assistant director Ben Frankel, assistant director Max Gold, Tom Harris, Harry Johannes, Otho Jordan, pilot Halleck Rouse, and cinematographer Conrad Wells (also known as Abraham Fried). The finished film left Hawks uncredited.
Tabu (1931), released a week after F.W. Murnau's death in a car accident.
The Viking (1931), given its public release over three months after co-director Varick Frissell's death in an explosion, along with 26 other crew members, on board the SS Viking; the film, shot on location in Newfoundland by George Melford and Frissell in the winter of 1930–31, had been nominally completed and privately screened when Frissell decided it needed more sensational and realistic footage from the Labrador ice floes. Within days, Frissell and his crew re-joined the SS Viking (already used in the film) to shoot more footage; however, the ship quickly became trapped in ice about eight miles (13 km) off the Horse Islands. On March 15, 1931, a cache of dynamite loaded on the vessel, being used for Frissell's film to add to the sensationalism of giant explosions of icebergs, spontaneously blew up, destroying the back of the ship, blowing the stern off the vessel, and causing the Viking to catch fire and sink,[1][2][3] killing 27[4] members of the crew who were filming an iceberg, including Frissell and cinematographer Alexander Gustavus Penrod. The film as Frissell had left it was prepared for its posthumous release by associate producer Roy W. Gates. A French-language version of the film, Ceux du "Viking", shot simultaneously with the English-language version by French director René Ginet and also featuring Frissell's nature footage, was released in February 1932, 11 months after Frissell's death.
The Lovers of Montparnasse (1958), released over a year after Max Ophüls' death from rheumatic heart disease, while shooting interiors on the film. Because he died in the middle of production, Ophüls' friend Jacques Becker took over after the director's death and finished the picture; it was dedicated to Ophüls' memory.
The Hole (1960), released less than a month after Jacques Becker's sudden death; Becker, who had shot the film over a period of ten weeks, died of an undisclosed illness just two weeks after filming had wrapped. The picture was edited and assembled by Marguerite Renoir and Geneviève Vaury based on notes the director had written before his death; the completed film was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the 13th Cannes Film Festival.
Song Without End (1960), released a year after Charles Vidor's death from a heart attack. Because Vidor had died in the middle of filming, directing work was completed by George Cukor, who received on-screen credit for providing grateful contributions to the picture.
Avalanche Express (1979), released over a year after Mark Robson's death from a heart attack during filming; production was completed by his friend and fellow director, Monte Hellman, who went uncredited for his work.
The Nutcracker (1993) and Gypsy (1993), released four days and less than a month, respectively, after Emile Ardolino's death due to complications from AIDS.
Blue Sky (1994), released nearly three years after Tony Richardson's death from complications from AIDS.
Be a Wicked Woman (1990), shelved by director Kim Ki-young and screened publicly in 1998, following his death that same year in a house fire.
The Argument (1998) and Wild Side (1999), both released over two years after Donald Cammell's suicide, following a disastrous recut of Wild Side by the film's producer.
Quiet Flows the Don (2006), released over twelve years after Sergei Bondarchuk's death from a heart attack; disputes after filming had wrapped in 1994, over unfavorable clauses in Bondarchuk's contract with the Italian studio co-producing the film, left the tapes locked in a bank vault until sometime after the director's death. Bondarchuk's son, Fyodor Bondarchuk, assembled and edited the film for its final release on Russian television in 2006.
Waitress (2007), released just over six months after Adrienne Shelly's murder at the hands of Diego Pillco; the Ecuadorian immigrant was caught stealing money from Shelly and decided to strangle her to death with a bedsheet, then frame it as a suicide by hanging.
Dhaam Dhoom (2008), a Tamil (Indian language) film co-written and partly directed by Jeeva shortly before his death; it was completed by his widow, Anees Murugaraj, and his longtime assistant, V. Manikandan, and overseen by veteran cinematographer P. C. Sriram.
Buy a Suit (2008), released just over a month after Jun Ichikawa's death from a cerebral hemorrhage, following his collapse at a restaurant.
Hard to Be a God (2013), released nearly nine months after Aleksei Yuryevich German's sudden death; the film itself had been shot from 2000 to 2006, and was in the midst of intensive sound editing upon German's death.
The Uncondemned (2015), released just over two weeks after co-director Nick Louvel's death in a traffic collision.[6]
Traffic (2016), released just over a month after Rajesh Pillai's death from non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis.
Gone with the Wind (1939), released nearly four months after Sidney Howard's death in a tractor accident; he had turned the ignition switch on and was cranking the engine to start it when it lurched forward, pinning him against the wall of his garage and crushing him to death. He won the 1939 Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Gone with the Wind, the first time a posthumous nominee for any Oscar won the award.[7]
Zudora (1914–1915), a 20-part serial whose first installment was released just over three months after producer Charles J. Hite's death in an automobile accident; Hite was on the way to his home in New Rochelle, New York, and was crossing the viaduct at 155th Street in Manhattan when his vehicle skidded off the roadway and onto the sidewalk, tore through an iron railing and plunged fifty feet before landing atop a wooden fence, with Hite underneath it, having suffered a fractured skull, a compound fracture to his jaw, and three broken ribs. After it took fifteen minutes to pull him from beneath it, Hite was taken to the hospital, where he died that same night. Both the serial's production and the film studio Hite owned, Thanhouser, went into a long, slow decline following his death.
The Viking (1931), given its public release over three months after producer Varick Frissell's death in an explosion, along with 26 other crew members, on board the SS Viking; the film, shot on location in Newfoundland by co-directors George Melford and Frissell (Melford filming actors, Frissell filming nature) in the winter of 1930–31, had been nominally complete when Frissell screened it privately at the Nickel Theatre at St. John's on March 5, 1931, but the producer came away feeling it needed more sensational and realistic footage from the Labrador ice floes. Within days, Frissell and his crew re-joined the SS Viking (already used in the film) for its annual seal hunt to shoot more footage; however, the ship quickly became trapped in ice about eight miles (13 km) off the Horse Islands. On March 15, 1931, while trying to film an iceberg, Frissell, cinematographer Alexander Gustavus Penrod, and 25[4] other film crew members were killed when a cache of dynamite loaded on the vessel, being used for Frissell's film to add to the sensationalism of giant explosions of icebergs, spontaneously blew up, destroying the back of the ship, blowing the stern off the vessel, and causing the Viking to catch fire and sink.[1][2][3] The film that had been screened at the Nickel Theatre was subsequently polished and prepared for release by associate producer Roy W. Gates, who directed a prologue featuring Newfoundland explorer Sir Wilfred Grenfell, who had known and worked with Frissell, lionizing the producer and the men who had died with him. A French-language version of the film, Ceux du "Viking", shot simultaneously with Melford's English-language version by French director René Ginet and also produced by Frissell and featuring his nature footage, was released in February 1932, 11 months after Frissell's death.
The Naked City (1948), released over two months after producer and narrator Mark Hellinger's death from a sudden heart attack; after Hellinger's death, executives at Universal Studios were ready to scrap the film, as they had no idea how to market it, and feared it would be a box office failure. Hellinger's widow, however, reminded the studio that Hellinger's contract for the film included a "guarantee of release" clause from Universal; having no choice, Universal released the film into theaters, and were subsequently surprised when it became a hit, garnering two Oscars for the studio.
Creed (2015), released months after Robert Chartoff's death from pancreatic cancer. While not producing The second film after his death. Warner Bros. and MGM announced that Chartoff would not produce Creed 2, after his death from pancreatic cancer, while William Chartoff (his son) produced Creed 2 instead.
A Minecraft Movie (2025), to be released seven years after Jill Messick's death from suicide in February 2018; she will receive her posthumous credit in the film.
In several cases, actors or actresses have died prior to the release of a film: either during filming or after it has been completed, but is yet to be released. In the case that the actor dies during filming, their scenes are often completed by stunt doubles, or through special effects. Only people who actually appear in some capacity in a posthumously released film are listed here. Those who were scheduled to start a project, but died before filming began, are not included.
A Dash Through the Clouds (1912), released just twenty-three days after aviator and actor Philip Orin Parmelee's death in a plane crash; he was piloting an airplane at an air show in Yakima, Washington, on June 1, 1912, at altitudes variously described from 400 to 2,000 feet, when air turbulence flipped over his airplane and caused it to crash, killing him instantly.[16][17]
A Woman's Way (1913), In the Haunts of Fear (1913), and The Blight (1913), all released after Joseph Graybill's death at the age of 26—strangely, different records state conflicting information as to the cause of Graybill's death; the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) lists it as acute spinal meningitis,[18] and the first death notice in the New York Times contradicts the death certificate as to the day of death—it lists the cause of death on August 2, not the 3, as a nervous breakdown[19]—but an obituary on August 4 lists the cause as gastritis.[20] Contradicting all of these, a 1913 Motion Picture Story magazine article states that he had a "nervous disorder of the optic nerve and died". Finally, Graybill's death certificate states that the cause of death was acute pachymeningitis and a contributory factor was alcohol poisoning; both the certificate and the first death notice note he entered Bellevue Hospital on July 24.[21]
Across the Border (1914), released over a month after Grace McHugh's death during filming; while on location on the Arkansas River in Colorado, re-shooting a scene of McHugh fording the river on horseback, her horse lost its footing, and the actress was thrown into the swift current. Cinematographer Owen Carter stopped filming and plunged into the river to save her; together they succeeded in reaching a sandbar, which unfortunately proved to be quicksand, and they both drowned. Shooting of the picture was otherwise complete, and the film was released with the majority of Grace McHugh's work intact.
The Great Romance (1919), Shadows of Suspicion (1919), and A Man of Honor (1919), all released after Harold Lockwood's death in the 1918 flu pandemic; because he died before filming on Shadows of Suspicion was completed, changes were made to the script, and the film was completed using a double shot from behind to stand in for Lockwood.
The Lone Star Ranger (1919), Wolves of the Night (1919), The Last of the Duanes (1919), and The Spite Bride (1919), all released after Lamar Johnstone's sudden death at age 34 from heart disease.
The Skywayman (1920), released just over a month after daredevil stunt flier and actor Ormer Locklear's death on the last day of filming; while shooting the finale by night, Locklear had to dive the plane, carrying himself and co-pilot Milton 'Skeets' Elliott, towards some oil derricks and appear to crash it. He forewarned the lighting crew to douse their lights when he got near the derricks, so that he could see to pull out of the dive; the lights remained full on, blinding him, and he crashed. The finished film showed this crash, and its aftermath, in gruesome detail.
Everybody's Sweetheart (1920), released less than a month after Olive Thomas' death, at the age of 25; on the night of September 5, 1920, Thomas and her husband, Jack Pickford, went out for a night of entertainment and partying at the famous bistros in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris. Returning to their room in the Hotel Ritz around 3:00 am, Pickford either fell asleep or was outside the room for a final round of drugs. An intoxicated and tired Thomas accidentally ingested a large dose of a mercury bichloride liquid solution, which had been prescribed for her husband's chronic syphilis. Being liquid, it was supposed to be applied topically, not ingested.[22] She had either thought the flask contained drinking water or sleeping pills; accounts vary. The label was in French, which may have added to the confusion. She screamed, "Oh, my God!", and Pickford ran to pick her up in his arms; however, it was too late, as she had already ingested a lethal dose.[23] She was taken to the American Hospital in the Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine, where she succumbed to the poison a few days later.
Coincidence (1921), released a year after Robert Harron's suicide; he fatally shot himself in the left lung with a revolver due to disappointment that director and mentor D.W. Griffith had passed him over for the starring role in Way Down East.
Wildness of Youth (1922), released nearly two months after child star Bobby Connelly's death from bronchitis, brought on by a years-long battle with endocarditis and worsened by a heavy work schedule; Connelly was 13 years old.[24]
The Warrens of Virginia (1924), almost a year after actress Martha Mansfield's death at the age of 24; on November 30, 1923, while working on the film on location in San Antonio, Texas, Mansfield was severely burned when a match, tossed by a cast member, ignited her Civil War costume of hoopskirts and flimsy ruffles. Mansfield was playing the role of Agatha Warren and had just finished her scenes and retired to a car when her clothing burst into flames. Her neck and face were saved when leading man Wilfred Lytell threw his heavy overcoat over her. The chauffeur of Mansfield's car was burned badly on his hands while trying to remove the burning clothing from the actress. The fire was put out, but she sustained substantial burns to her body. She was rushed to a Physicians and Surgeons Hospital in San Antonio, where she died in less than twenty-four hours; however, most of Mansfield's scenes had already been shot, so production on the film continued.
King of the Pack (1926), released nearly four months after canine actor Peter the Great's death while protecting his master; an argument had broken out between owner Edward Faust and a friend of Faust's, culminating with Faust running back to his car while the friend came out of his house with a rifle—in the process, Peter leapt up to protect his master, and was shot in the neck, lingering for three more days before dying.
The First Auto (1927). Charles Emmett Mack died when a wagon struck his car broadside as he was driving to work. His co-star, Patsy Ruth Miller, had declined a ride because she was not needed for filming until later.
Two Masters (1928), released nearly a month after Rex Cherryman's death from septic poisoning, which he contracted while sailing to France to read for a play in Paris; he died in Le Havre, France at age 31.
The Hottentot (1929), The Argyle Case (1929), and The Drake Case (1929), all released after Gladys Brockwell's death in an automobile accident; the car, driven by her friend Thomas Brennan, went over an 75-foot (23 m) embankment on the Ventura Highway near Calabasas, and Brockwell, the passenger, ended up crushed beneath it. Brennan later said that a bit of dust had blown into his eye before the accident, temporarily blinding him. Seriously injured, Brockwell died a few days later in a Hollywood hospital from peritonitis; Brennan eventually recovered from his own injuries.
The Miracle Man (1932), less than five months after Tyrone Power Sr.'s death. Power was in the midst of filming the title role in a remake of the 1919 film, but collapsed and died of a heart attack in the arms of his son, Tyrone Power Jr., while on the set; Power's part was taken up by Hobart Bosworth, but his work was not refilmed.
I Cover the Waterfront (1933), released just six days after Ernest Torrence's death following gall bladder surgery; while en route to Europe by ship, Torrence suffered an acute attack of gall stones, but after being rushed back to a New York City hospital, he died of complications following surgery.
Wake Up and Dream (1934), released just over a month after Russ Columbo's death in a shooting accident; the singer was shot under peculiar circumstances by his longtime friend, photographer Lansing Brown, while Columbo was visiting him at home. Brown had a collection of firearms and the two men were examining various pieces. Quoting Brown's description of the accident,[25]"I was absent-mindedly fooling around with one of the guns. [...] I had a match in my hand and when I clicked, apparently the match caught in between the hammer and the firing pin. There was an explosion. Russ slid to the side of his chair." The ball ricocheted off a nearby table and hit Columbo above the left eye. Surgeons at Good Samaritan Hospital made an unsuccessful attempt to remove the ball from Columbo's brain; he died less than six hours after the shooting.[26][27] Columbo's death was ruled an accident, and Brown exonerated from blame.[28][29]
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935) and In Old Kentucky (1935), both released months after Will Rogers' death in an airplane crash; while being flown through Alaska by famed aviator Wiley Post, they became uncertain of their position in bad weather and landed in a lagoon to ask directions. On takeoff, the engine failed at low altitude, and the aircraft, uncontrollably nose-heavy at low speed, plunged into the lagoon, shearing off the right wing and ending inverted in the shallow water of the lagoon; both men died instantly.
Saratoga (1937), following Jean Harlow's death, with 90% of filming completed; a body double and two voice doubles completed the filming in Harlow's role.[30]
Rikas tyttö (1939), released less than two months after Finnish actressSirkka Sari's death; Sari played the lead role in the film. At a party with the rest of the cast and crew, while shooting at the Aulanko Hotel, Sari and one of the men there (she was engaged, but the man was not her fiancé) went up to the roof of the hotel; on the flat roof, there was a several-feet high chimney, with a ladder leading up to the top. Sari mistook this chimney for a scenery balcony, climbed up, and fell into a heating boiler, where she died instantly. Because of Sari's death, the end of the film needed to be changed a bit; the crew shot further away, and so another woman had to replace Sari on these final shots. It was only Sari's third film; she was 19 years old.
The Masked Marvel (1943), released two months after David Bacon's mysterious death; he was seen driving a car erratically in Santa Monica, California before running off the road and into the curb. Several witnesses saw him climb out of the car and stagger briefly before collapsing. As they approached, he asked them to help him, but he died before he could say anything more. A small knife wound was found in his back – the blade had punctured his lung and caused his death. When he died, Bacon was wearing only a swimsuit, and a wallet and camera were found in his car. The film from the camera was developed and found to contain only one image, that of Bacon, nude and smiling on a beach.
Captain America (1944), whose later segments arrived at theatres following Dick Purcell's death from a heart attack, just a few weeks after shooting had wrapped.
Hangover Square (1945), two months after Laird Cregar's death, due to complications from stomach surgery following a crash diet that included prescribed amphetamines.
Lost City of the Jungle (1946), following Lionel Atwill's death, from pneumonia caused by poor health due to lung cancer, while filming this serial; Atwill was playing the mastermind villain, Sir Eric Hazarias, a chief foreign spy. Universal could not afford to throw out the footage already filmed, so they were forced to adapt the serial: Firstly, another villain (Malborn, played by John Mylong, who was originally just a servant of Sir Eric) was introduced as the boss of Atwill's character to take over most of the villain requirements of the film; secondly, a double of Atwill was used to complete his remaining scenes. The double was filmed from behind and remained silent. The villain's henchmen were filmed repeating their orders back to the silent double and stock footage of Atwill was edited in to show a response.
The Naked City (1948), released over two months after producer and narrator Mark Hellinger's death from a sudden heart attack; after Hellinger's death, executives at Universal Studios were ready to scrap the film, as they had no idea how to market it, and feared it would be a box office failure. Hellinger's widow, however, reminded the studio that Hellinger's contract for the film included a "guarantee of release" clause from Universal; having no choice, Universal released the film into theaters, and were subsequently surprised when it became a hit, garnering two Oscars for the studio.
Noose (1948) and Brass Monkey (1948), both released after Carole Landis' suicide; Landis was reportedly crushed when her lover, actor Rex Harrison, refused to divorce his wife, Lilli Palmer, for her. She took an overdose of Seconal at her Pacific Palisades home.[31][32] She had spent her final night with Harrison. The next afternoon, he and the maid discovered her on the bathroom floor. Harrison waited several hours before he called a doctor and the police.[33] According to some sources, Landis left two suicide notes; one for her mother, and the second for Harrison, who instructed his lawyers to destroy it.[34] During a coroner's inquest, Harrison denied knowing any motive for her suicide and told the coroner he did not know of the existence of a second suicide note.[35]
Red River (1948) and So Dear to My Heart (1949), both released after Harry Carey's death from a combination of lung cancer, emphysema, and coronary thrombosis in 1947; both films had been delayed due to lengthy post-production problems, including the addition of several animated sequences to the latter, a Disney film.
Alice in Wonderland (1951), released over a year after the death of Dink Trout, who voiced the King of Hearts, and two months after the death of Larry Grey, who voiced Bill the Lizard and a card painter.
My Son John (1952), released eight months after Robert Walker's death, from an allergic reaction to sodium amytal given to him by his psychiatrist. Because Walker died in the middle of production, parts of the film were heavily rewritten; several scenes use a double shot from behind, and others recycle footage of Walker from Strangers on a Train. The final scene, where a recording of John delivers an anti-Communist speech, is lit with a halo around the tape-recorder.
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), released nearly three years after Bela Lugosi's death. He died having filmed two minutes of footage.[30] This footage, not shot for Plan 9, but for two separate, unfinished Ed Wood projects, was combined and then inter-cut with new footage featuring a double, Tom Mason, who looked nothing like Lugosi, to put a credit for Lugosi on the picture.[30]
Solomon and Sheba (1959), following Tyrone Power's death of a sudden heart attack; having completed 75% of the required shooting, Power's death forced the production to recast the role with Yul Brynner and reshoot most of Power's scenes. Footage of Power, however, was retained for long shots, such as in the sword fighting sequence toward the end of the film, and reels featuring the rest of Power's performance are rumored to be kept locked away in vaults to this day.
The Misfits (1961), released on what would have been Clark Gable's 60th birthday; he suffered a heart attack two days after filming ended and died ten days later, on November 16, 1960.
Advise & Consent (1962), where, appearing in two scenes as Senator McCafferty, who whenever awakened from a deep sleep automatically responds "Opposed, sir! Opposed!", was 87-year-old Henry F. Ashurst, one of the first senators elected by the state of Arizona and served five terms. Ashurst died on May 31, 1962, a week before the film's premiere.
From Russia with Love (1963), released nearly four months after Pedro Armendáriz's suicide, following a long development of cancer that turned terminal during filming.
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966), released a month after John Reynolds' suicide; it was the only film appearance of Reynolds, who played the infamous character Torgo in the film.
The Defector (1966), released in the United States nearly four months after Montgomery Clift's death from a heart attack.
The Jungle Book (1967), released over ten months after Verna Felton's death from a stroke; Felton had voiced Colonel Hathi's wife, Winifred the elephant, in the film.
The film's producer, Walt Disney, died the day after Felton.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), released six months after Spencer Tracy's death from a heart attack and emphysema. Tracy died only seventeen days after filming wrapped, and was in failing health during the shoot – the filming schedule was altered to accommodate him.[36] All of Tracy's scenes were filmed between 9:00 AM and noon of each day in order to give him adequate time to rest.[37] For example, most of Tracy's dialogue scenes were filmed in such a way that during close-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him.[38] Tracy posthumously received his ninth Oscar nomination for his work on the film.[39]
The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) and Billion Dollar Brain (1967), both released after Françoise Dorléac's death at the age of 25; the older sister of French actressCatherine Deneuve died when she lost control of the rented Renault 10 she was driving and hit a sign post ten kilometers from Nice at the end of the Esterel-Côte d'Azur motorway. The car flipped over and burst into flames. Dorléac had been en route to Nice airport and was afraid of missing her flight. She was seen struggling to get out of the car, but was unable to open the door; police later identified her body only from the fragment of a cheque book, a diary, and her driving license.
Autopsia de un fantasma (1968), released over fifteen months after Basil Rathbone's death from a heart attack.
Skidoo (1968), released about four months following Phil Arnold's death from a heart attack; another cast member, Fred Clark, died only two weeks prior to the film's release.
The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968), released a year after Bert Lahr's death from pneumonia and undiagnosed terminal cancer; while working on the film, Lahr agreed to shoot an extensive night scene outdoors in New York City on a cold December night, causing him to develop the pneumonia that killed him. Due to his death occurring in the middle of production, his role was posthumously made smaller, and what footage needed to be reshot for scenes where Lahr had completed his close-ups employed burlesque legend Joey Faye, shot from behind, to fill in for Lahr.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), released seven months after Al Mulock's suicide; Mulock, a noted Canadiancharacter actor, played the gunslinger Knuckles in the opening sequence. This sequence, the last filmed in Spain on the production, was scheduled for four days; Mulock committed suicide after the third day's shooting, for reasons that are still unclear, by jumping from his hotel room window, several floors up, in full costume. Production manager Claudio Mancini and screenwriter Mickey Knox, who were sitting in a room in the hotel, witnessed Mulock's body pass by their window. Knox recalled in an interview that while Mancini put Mulock, still in his costume, in his car to drive him to the hospital, directorSergio Leone said to Mancini, "Get the costume! We need the costume!" As Mulock had already shot most of his close-ups and a few medium and wide shots, only a double, of similar height and build, was needed to complete the sequence; looking similar enough to pass, screenwriter Knox was drafted into taking Mulock's place for those shots.[40] Mulock's absence is obvious in the last few minutes of the sequence; while the other two gunslingers, played by Woody Strode and Jack Elam, get close-up reaction shots to Charles Bronson's character, Knuckles gets none before he is shot to death.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), released three months after Irish actress Bee Duffell's death; Duffell played the Old Crone whom King Arthur and Sir Bedevere shout "Ni!" at.
The Seniors (1978), released a year after Alan Reed's death from a heart attack.
Watership Down (1978), released a year after Zero Mostel's death from an aortic aneurysm, following a respiratory disorder due to a nutritionally unsound diet he took in the last four months of his life.
Force 10 from Navarone (1978) and Avalanche Express (1979), both following Robert Shaw's death from a heart attack, while on break from shooting Express; the role was completed with a double filmed from behind. Because Shaw was so ill during filming, his voice and delivery were subsequently very weak and shaky. After his death, his voice was dubbed by actor Robert Rietty, although impressionistRich Little also dubbed three words near the end of the picture ("Harry, come on"), and six words in Shaw's own voice were deemed usable ("Too hot in that train" and "Harry").
Last Embrace (1979), released nearly five months after Lou Gilbert's death.
The Muppet Movie (1979) released nine months after Edgar Bergen's death from kidney disease; he had died during the film's production, after filming his scene.
Ghost Story (1981), released four months after Melvyn Douglas' death. The Hot Touch (1982), which also featured Douglas, was released over a year after his death.
Yellowbeard (1983) and Slapstick of Another Kind (1984; US release), both following Marty Feldman's death in December 1982 from a sudden heart attack; his work on Yellowbeard had not yet been completed at the time of his death, and a stunt double, filmed later, was used to kill his character off and finish the role.
Daniel (1983), released eight months after Will Lee's death from a heart attack.
Brainstorm (1983), released nearly two years after Natalie Wood's death from drowning, during a break from principal photography; a body double and obscuring camera techniques were used to complete Wood's scenes.[30]
8 Diagram Pole Fighter (1983), released after its leading actor Alexander Fu Sheng died in a car accident whilst the film was still in production. To complete the film, the script was re-written and Fu Sheng's character abruptly disappears halfway with Gordon Liu's character taking over as the lead.
Maxie (1985) and The Trouble with Spies (1987), both released after Ruth Gordon's death from a stroke; the latter film was shot in 1984, but was not released until three years later.
9½ Weeks (1986) and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), both released after Julian Beck's death from stomach cancer the year before; in the case of the latter film, Beck's voice (due to his illness) proved so weak that many of his lines were later redubbed by voice actor Corey Burton, and his death during principal photography necessitated further rewrites with various demonic stand-ins taking his place.
Poltergeist III (1988), released four months after Heather O'Rourke's death; due to test audience problems, the film's ending was reshot a month after her death, using a body double from behind in shots of O'Rourke's character.
Pumpkinhead (1988), released ten months after Madeleine Taylor Holmes's death.
A Man for All Seasons (1988; television film), The Return of the Musketeers (1989) and The Princess and the Goblin (1992), all released following Roy Kinnear's death from a heart attack, due to an accident while filming Musketeers in September 1988 in which he fell off a horse and broke his pelvis; his role was completed by using a stand-in for two crucial scenes, filmed from behind, and dubbed-in lines from a voice artist.[42]
UHF (1989), released nearly a year after Trinidad Silva's death in a car accident, involving a collision with a drunken driver in Whittier, California, during production; had Silva survived, the film would have explored and developed the character he played, Raul, a little better, such as the fact that he was a postal worker, and would have shown an additional scene involving the revenge of the poodle he had thrown out of a 2-story-high window during the taping of his character's show. Aside from various scenes being rewritten to exclude his character, the scene with the attacking poodles was actually filmed using another actor doubling for Silva, with stuffed poodles attached to his body and covering his face; however, the scene was not included in the film's final cut.
Silent Tongue (1994), released the year after River Phoenix's death; another, uncompleted film, Dark Blood, was released in 2012 with director George Sluizer's narration filling in for the missing scenes.
The Crow (1994), released one year after Brandon Lee's death from a firearms accident while filming on the set. A body double and CGI was used to complete the film. This was one of the first films to use CGI for completing an actor's scene after their death.[30][43]
Wagons East! (1994) and Canadian Bacon (1995), both released after John Candy's death from a heart attack. The latter had already been completed a year before Candy's death but had a delayed release. The former was still in production at the time of Candy's death and was completed using CGI and a stunt double.[30] A third film, Hostage for a Day (1994), was released a month after his death.
Il Postino: The Postman (1994), released three months after Massimo Troisi's death from a heart attack just hours after filming his last scene in the film.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), following Mary Wickes' death in October 1995; because Wickes, who voiced Laverne the gargoyle, died before finishing the required voice work on the film, the producers hired Jane Withers to provide the remaining dialogue.
Waitress (2007), released just over six months after Adrienne Shelly's murder at the hands of Diego Pillco; the Ecuadorian immigrant was caught stealing money from Shelly and decided to strangle her to death with a bedsheet, then frame it as a suicide by hanging.[39]
TMNT (2007) and Rise: Blood Hunter (2007), both released nearly a year after Mako Iwamatsu's death from respiratory arrest caused by esophageal tumor.
True Legend (2010), Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010; television film), Stretch (2011), Eldorado (2012), The Banksters, Madoff with America (2013), Night of the Templar (2013), and The American Connection (2017), all released following David Carradine's death from asphyxiation in June 2009.
The Wildest Dream (2010), released over a year after Natasha Richardson's death from an epidural hematoma, following a head injury she sustained while taking a beginners' skiing course; she was not wearing a helmet at the time, and refused medical treatment following the accident, only to collapse in her hotel room three hours later.
Jelly (2010), released after Ed McMahon's death in June 2009.
Iron Cross (2011), released over three years after Roy Scheider's death from multiple myeloma; as Scheider died before production was finished, his scenes were completed using CGI techniques to stand in for the actor.
Sparkle (2012), released over six months after actress/singer Whitney Houston's death from drowning in a bathtub, due to the effects of chronic cocaine use and heart disease.[45]
Brick Mansions (2014) and Furious 7 (2015), both released after Paul Walker's death in a car accident; a third film, Hours (2013), had premiered at a March 2013 film festival, but only went into wide release 13 days after Walker's death. When Furious 7 resumed filming in April 2014, it was announced that Walker's brothers, actors Caleb and Cody, and John Brotherton were used as stand-in body doubles to complete his role.
Walker also appeared in Fast X (2023) through the use of repurposed footage from Fast Five (2011) during the prologue.
Jurassic World (2015) was released nine months after Richard Attenborough's death in August 2014, Jurassic World uses the archive recording of Attenborough as John Hammond from the original series of the firsttwo films.
Angels in Notting Hill (2015), The Hunting of the Snark (2017; short film), and The Time War (2018), all released after Christopher Lee's death from heart failure.
The Red Maple Leaf, The Escort (2016; short film), Job's Daughter (2016), and Zizi and Honeyboy (2018; short film), was also released after Doris Roberts' death.
Billboard (2017), released two years after Darlene Cates' death.
Cars 3 (2017), released nearly nine years after Paul Newman's death; the film used unused archive recordings of Newman from the first film for flashback scenes featuring Doc Hudson, voiced by Newman.
The film also used unused archive recordings of Tom Magliozzi, who died nearly three years before the film's release.
Fisher also appeared in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) through the use of repurposed unreleased footage from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). For a flashback scene they used repurposed footage from Return of the Jedi (1983) where her daughter Billie Lourd was used as stand-in body double to play the younger version of Fisher's character. There had also been plans to include unseen footage of Fisher from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but it was ultimately not used.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also uses archival audio of Cliff Robertson from Spider-Man 2 (2004) for a flashback scene involving the character Uncle Ben. Robertson died seven years before the film was released. In 2023, Robertson appeared in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) through the use of repurposed footage from Spider-Man (2002) during a sequence in the movie.
Avengers: Endgame also released eight months after Lee Moore’s death.
Pixar reviewed 25 years of archival material that Rickles had participated in, including unused lines from the first three films, video games, and other related media for the franchise, and other works, and repurposed them for use within the film.
Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm (2019), released ten years after Dom DeLuise's death.
Cleanin' Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters uses the archive footage as himself, while Ghostbusters: Afterlife uses the archive footage as Dr. Egon Spengler from the first two films.
Deported (2021) released after Conchata Farrell's death from complications of cardiac arrest.
The Confidence Man JP: The Movie 2 (2020), Tengaramon (2020), Brave: Gunjō Senki (2021) and Gift of Fire (2021) all released after Haruma Miura's death from suicide by hanging.
Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021; television special), Back Home Again (2021; short film), Captain Daddy (2021; TV film), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2022), Deadly Draw (2023), Carl's Date (2023; short film), Tiger Within (2023; U.S. release), Altered Reality (2024), The Gettysburg Address (2025), A Fargo Christmas Story (TBA), Scarlett (TBA; television film), and Unplugged (TBA), all to be released after Ed Asner's death from natural causes in August 2021.
Domino: Battle of the Bones (2021), Welcome to Our World (2021), Money Is King (2021), The Allnighter (2022) and Renegades (2022), all released after Tommy Lister Jr.’s death from hypertensive and atheroscleroticcardiovascular disease in December 2020.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) released after the deaths of Stephen Sondheim in November 2021 and Angela Lansbury in October 2022. The film had appeared in film festivals a month before Lansbury's death, but only went into the wide theatrical and Netflix release following her death.
"Sr." (2022; Documentary), released a year and four months after Robert Downey Sr.'s death due to parkinson's Disease.
Bond of Justice: Kizuna (2023), released a year after Sonny Chiba's death from COVID-19 complications.
Seriously Red (2023; U.S. release), premiered at one of the film festivals in 2022, but released nearly two months after Tony Barry’s death from melanoma.
Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes (2023), Double Soul (2023), The Piper (2023), Body Odyssey (2023), and The Last Breath (2024), all to be released after Julian Sands’ death after being missing in January 2023, before his remains were found six months later.[59]
Breakout (2023), The Haunting of Hell Hole Mine (2023), The Donor (2023), Mega Ape (2023), Someone Dies Tonight (2023) and Scarlett (TBA; television film), released after Tom Sizemore’s death from a brain aneurysm in March 2023.
Dikkie Dik en de verdwenen knuffel (2024) released after Burny Bos' death in December 2023.[65] Bos would also lend his voice to Een nieuwe vriend voor Dikkie Dik (2024), because not all dialogue was recorded before his death. His role was taken over by Dutch comedian André van Duin.[66]
Strangers in a Strange Land (TBA), to be released after Leslie Jordan’s death from a car crash in October 2022.
Transmission: Vol 1 (TBA), The Intersection (TBA), and The Antagonist (TBA; short film), all to be released after Robert Cormier's death in September 2022.[67]
Slammer (TBA), to be released after Josephine Melville’s death in October 2022.
Do You Want to Die in Indio? (TBA), to be released after Cody Longo’s death in February 2023.
Aaah! Roach! (TBA), American Game (TBA), Horse (TBA) and Justice Angel (TBA) all to be released after Jansen Panettiere’s death from cardiomegaly in February 2023.
Sallywood (TBA), to be released after Michael Lerner’s death from a seizure in April 2023.
Sallywood was also released after Lenny von Dohlen's death from a long illness.
Our Kid (TBA), and The Last Ferry (TBA), both to be released after Jake Abraham's death in October 2023.
My First Film (TBA), and Lucknow (TBA), both to be released after Jackson Anthony’s death from his injuries resulted in a car accident in October 2023.
Asleep at the Wheel (TBA), to be released after Burt Young’s death in October 2023.
A Time in Eternity (TBA), to be released after Bita Farrahi's death from heart and lung disease in November 2023.
Bad Man (TBA), to be released after Chance Perdomo's death from a tragic motorcycle accident in March 2024.[69]
^Emerson, Jim (December 3, 1992). "FOOTNOTES ON THE CREDITS FOR 'MALCOLM X'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 12, 2021. The screenplay for Spike Lee's Malcolm X was written in 1969 by Arnold Perl (who died two years later)...So the screenplay is credited to Perl and Lee...
^"Parmalee is Killed". Los Angeles Times. June 2, 1912. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2009. Aviation Star Has Fatal Fall. Graduate of Wright School Meets His Death at North Yakima, Wash. Biplane in High Wind Flutters and Dives from Four Hundred Feet. His Fiancee Is Among First to Reach Crushed Body of Fallen Birdman. Gives Life as Toll to Aerial Navigation.
^Parish, James Robert (2002). The Hollywood Book of Death: The Bizarre, Often Sordid, Passings of More Than 125 American Movie and TV Idols (3 ed.). Contemporary Books. p. 315. ISBN0-8092-2227-2.